Oakland
An indigenous name referring to a land of shaded oak trees.
Name Census estimates that about 1,464 living Americans carry the first name Oakland. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Oakland today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oakland births was 2024 (194 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oakland. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Oakland is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 7 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 234,122 Americans
Peak year
2024
194 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,296
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Oakland
Oakland leans heavily male at 83.6% of total registrations, but 244 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Oakland as a male name
- Ranked #1,296 in 2024
- 151 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (158 births)
Oakland as a female name
- Ranked #3,618 in 2024
- 43 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (43 births)
Popularity
Oakland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oakland from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 901 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oakland by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oakland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oaklands live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Oakland, while South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oakland
Oakland is a English place name that originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "ac" meaning oak and "land" meaning land or estate. The name likely referred to an area where oak trees were abundant.
The earliest recorded use of the name Oakland dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings such as "Acalond" and "Achelund" in different regions of the country.
During the Middle Ages, Oakland was primarily used as a place name for towns, villages, and estates in England. However, there are some historical records of individuals bearing the name as a personal name, although it was relatively rare.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Oakland was Sir John Oakland, a knight who lived in the 14th century. He was a landowner and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1377.
In the 16th century, there was a notable English soldier named Thomas Oakland (c. 1530 - 1590) who fought in the Anglo-Spanish War and was knighted for his service in 1588.
Another prominent figure with the name Oakland was William Oakland (1637 - 1701), an English Puritan minister and writer who served as the rector of St. Olave's Church in London.
In the 18th century, there was a British naval officer named Edward Oakland (1720 - 1795) who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
During the 19th century, Oakland gained some popularity as a first name, particularly in the United States. One notable individual was Oakland Wolcott (1848 - 1933), an American businessman and politician who served as the 61st Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.
While Oakland has been primarily used as a place name throughout history, it has also been adopted as a first name, albeit with varying levels of popularity over time. The name has a rich historical connection to the English landscape and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, soldiers, clergymen, and politicians.
People
Oakland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oakland as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oakland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oakland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,464 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oakland going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 234,122 US residents.
Is Oakland a common name?
We classify Oakland as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,491 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oakland most popular?
The single biggest year for Oakland was 2024, when 194 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oakland is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oakland a male name?
Yes, 83.6% of people registered as Oakland in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.